Those sure signs of aging

Those things that just don't work as well as they once did.

Just cannot marathon ride witches wheel anymore - used to do that over and over again. Now I am one and done.

Last year I noticed I had to pace myself on some coasters during ride nights. Well, at least I'm still riding 'em. Rode Gatekeeper with an 80-year-old woman last year, she was still riding them all - gives me hope for the future.

Anyone else slowing down or is this forum full of kids that need to get off of my lawn?
I miss Witches Wheel.

Agreed. And I am only 23....

In my younger years I could marathon for hours. Now I will just get sick to my stomach if I do too many things at once.

No more marathon rides for me either. I am one and done and then a slow walk to the next coaster. My mother was still riding coasters--all rides for that matter-- when she was 79. I plan to take after her. No, I plan to be riding longer than that.

I'm not sure I've ever marathoned for hours but I'm 58 and I don't really feel like I've slowed down as far as riding. If I hit a quiet time at a park I'll still do 8 or 10 rides in a row if the lines and/or ride ops allow. I hope that doesn't change anytime soon! :-)

The only truly noticeable change I have noticed is spinny rides, and I'm pretty sure this is a constant with every non-child I have ever spoken to. I'm 38, so I'm not "old" by any stretch of the imagination, but any more than one cycle on a ride that features spinning as a central feature is not recommended for this guy.

I've never really attempted to marathon a coaster purposely, but a couple years ago my wife and I rode TTD and MF about 7 times each back-to-back on a slow May weekday with nothing but fun and adrenaline...so if that counts as marathoning as I guess "I still got it", even though those two rides are incredibly smooth in my opinion. Something like Raptor may be a different story.

Middle aged spread has made the seats smaller but overall I'm still good. Once in a while the back seat of Blue Streak stops agreeing with my back so I just move up front and keep going. I am much more sensitive to the heat than I was years ago and my feet hurt if I don't wear the right shoes. Just looking at all the those teen girls walking the concrete in flip flops makes my feet hurt. They need to put on some sensible shoes...and get off my lawn :)

I'm 68 and marathoning TTD is never a problem,MF depends upon how I feel,Maverick sometimes.

Kevinj said:

...but any more than one cycle on a ride that features spinning as a central feature is not recommended for this guy.

Consider yourself lucky. I can't even watch a spinning flat ride for an entire cycle. And I used to ride Witches' Wheel/Troika/Monster/etc. each a dozen or more times in a row back in the day, often without missing a cycle.

Spinny rides are a no go here also (as with most adults). If the radius is wide enough like with Witches Wheel, it's tolerable (once). Pipe Scream is also doable (once) because of the linear motion offsetting the spin. Tilt-a-Whirl would destroy me for the day (and has).

Then there's GLOC. Millennium's first hill and subsequent right curve will cause a white out for me without precautions. We've talked about this before, but doing strong, all-body muscle constrictions along with being well-hydrated prevents it. I'm sure if I did nothing I'd black out.

I've been getting more and more problems with GLOC too.

2 years ago, it was so bad that I passed out on Maverick and then Millenium later in one day... I had to see the medical staff who basically told me to stop being stupid and quit riding for a while :-).

Last year, I followed the advice given on here (as stated by Scottyf above) and it wasn't as much of a problem... just minor white outs and blurry vision.

I was on a gluten-free diet 2 years ago, and was not eating NEARLY enough, so I'm sure that had a lot to do with it too.

No spinning rides. I need to pace myself between most coasters. Fast Lane is a non-issue being I can't ride like that anyway. Seems I always need a break after Gatekeeper. Sometimes I can marathon Maverick, other times I'm done after one ride. I guess it all has to do with the body chemistry of the day.

I actually take Dramamine now and it works wonders.

Same here with the spinning rides, although I've done troika and Calypso usually without issue. I don't think I'll do MaxAir again (had to look up the name, another sign of aging, couldn't think of it!). A ride night of Gatekeeper made everyone dizzy, I had two runs more and then I was done. Pipe Scream made me dizzy. I can't imagine ever doing something like the Rotor now at my age, I am 46.

^^Motion sickness medicine for me is a must. Part of the preparation ritual before leaving for a park.

^I rode MaxAir once just to get it in. Never again. Don't trust Pipe Scream. I've gotten sick on a similar ride at another park. I can do Calypso (Tiki Twirl) alright and don't have any problems on WindSeeker.

Do those of you who take motion sickness medicine have problems with drowsiness?

I was thinking if trying some, but I didn't want to be groggy or crabby.

Get the non-drowsy kind. It's MUCH better than regular.

I've had to use motion sickness prevention medicine for years. I found non-drowsy Dramamine to be less effective than standard Dramamine.

For the past couple years, I've been using Bonine. Seems to work just as well as Dramamine, with much less drowsiness. Plus, it's stupid cheap on Amazon.

They're called "spin 'n spew" or "twirl 'n hurl" for a reason. I have an inner-ear imbalance so I've never been able to ride a spinning ride (including a merry-go-round). I can't even watch them for more than one or two revolutions. Lately I've had to cut out Raptor and the Mine Ride because of the double helix at the end. But that doesn't stop me from having fun.

I take the motion sickness pills from CP first aid behind snoopy boutique everytime I walk into the park. Sylvia there knows me,I walk in the door,she writes my name down,and gets the pills without me even asking for them. They're free and always available,1/2 hour before riding should be taken,never had a tired/drowsiness problem.

Bonine is good. I buy the REAL cheap non-drowsy Equate brand at Wal Mart now. I got it once from the medical office at CP back in the 90s and it knocked me out. So I haven't gotten it there since then.